A New Perspective
by JKDstudent
Summary: Sequel to "A Scratch in the Rainbow." Rainbow Dash and Vinyl Scratch seem to be happy, but Rainbow's love life is thrown into chaos when not one, but TWO new ponies come into town and take a liking to her. Also, Blueblood comes to Ponyville to show miss Rarity that he is a changed stallion. I do not own MLP:FiM. If so, I would not be writing fanfics about it. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**New Perspectives, Pt. 1**

******Hey everyone, sorry It's been so long, but school had been keeping me busy. Not to mention i just got a job, so that's eating up even more of my time. There's no way I'm gonna be able to update this nearly as often as my first story, so just be patient. Still no set schedule for updates, I'm just gonna post new chapters as they're completed. This is my sequel story to "A Scratch in the Rainbow" and if you're new to my work and have not read that yet, then please do so, because you will get confused very quickly in this story if you don't. Enjoy! Also, it would be appreciated if any who read this would also take the time to write a review. Reviews are nice.  
**

The sun was setting on another day in Ponyville, and the town's most well-known couple sat in their apartment enjoying the evening and chatting. Well... sort of chatting.

"Are you sure you want to do the Running of the Leaves this year?" Dash asked, skepticism practically plastered on her face.

"I'm sure, Dashie." replied Vinyl. " I see how hard you work for your dreams, and I want to be a part of that. I want to help you reach that dream, and it would mean the world to me if you could help me so that I could at least keep up with you and Applejack."

The rainbow-maned Pegasus still was not convinced. "It's just that music is more your thing than exercise. You're a party pony, Vinyl, not a workout pony."

"What can I say?" Vinyl started to blush. "Love makes a pony do things they wouldn't normally do." She took a step towards Dash and kissed her on the cheek, wearing her best puppy-dog eyes.

Rainbow Dash tried every time, but could never resist those eyes. "Fine," she said, defeated. "We'll start your training tomorrow."

Vinyl's face lit up. "Oh, thank you, Dashie! I love you!"

"I love you, too, Vinyl. But what do you say we get some dinner? It's almost dark and I'm starving."

Vinyl smiled. "Sure thing. Where do you wanna go?"

Dash thought about it for a moment before speaking. "How about we just cook something instead of going out? I don't feel like going out in public."

"I think that would be great, Dashie." replied Vinyl. "You're a better cook than me, though, so how about I set the table and get everything looking nice while you get dinnder started?"

"Sounds good to me." Rainbow said happily.

Vinyl trotted to the dining room as Rainbow made her way into the kitchen. The latter had something special in mind for dinner that night.

Vinyl went about the rather messy dining room, getting everything cleaned up and organized for the upcoming dinner date. Whatever Dashie had planned, it was sure to be good, so Vinyl wanted to make sure the setting was as good, if not better than, the food. She dusted off an old stereo system and popped in a mix she had made herself for occasions such as this. She had never gotten the chance to use it before, so this was the perfect opportunity to give it a test run. If it did not have the desired effect, Vinyl reasoned, she could simply turn it off.

Rainbow Dash went straight to work upon entering the kitchen, pulling out pots, pans, and all sorts of cookware. She had a special recipe that her mother had taught her when she was just a filly. Baked Ziti with fresh-picked dandelions. Dash worked frantically, adding oregano, parsley, and whatever other spices she could think of to enhance the flavor of the dish. After about a half hour, the work was done and the cyan Pegasus was heading into the dining room carrying the fresh-baked dish on her back.

Vinyl sat at the table waiting for her special somepony to finish preparing dinner. In the approximate half-hour time window that it took Rainbow Dash to fix the meal, the Unicorn had dusted off all of the furniture, picked out a nice tablecloth for the occasion and laid it out on the table, set up some white cinnamon-scented candles and set the stereo system to play her special mix.

"Dinner's on the way!" came Rainbow Dash's voice from the kitchen. A few moments later, she stepped out from the kitchen doorway with the pan of Ziti balanced on her back. "Help me get the plates set, sweetie?"

Vinyl smiled and got up from her chair, heading towards the kitchen. Using her magic, she grabbed two plates and a few napkins and trotted back into the dining room.

The couple enjoyed their meal, making small talk about their daily lives and joking about their friends. The topic of the Fundamentalist Society came up and they even laughed about that. It was hard to believe that it had already been a year since the Orange house was burned down and their leader, Greyson, had been thrown into a prison cell.

"A whole year," sighed Dash. "It's already been that long since then. Time sure flies when you're having fun, huh, Vinyl?"

"Yeah," replied Scratch, a dreamy expression plastered on her face. "It all seems like just yesterday."

"At least it was somewhat fun," commented the Rainbow-maned pony. "taking down a whole criminal society, that is."

"Yeah," agreed the Unicorn. "Wasn't too much fun at first, what with getting ambushed and captured and all."

"That wasn't too pleasant, but at least it all worked out right in the end. And if you ask me," a wide grin spread across Rainbow's face. "It just helped us become stronger as a couple."

"I think so, too."

The happy couple finished their dinner and put the plates into the sink, not caring to wash them or clean up the kitchen. All they wanted to do was head into their bedroom and bask in each other's presence. They blew out the candles and turned off the music and made their way into their room.

The night went on.

The white party pony awoke the next morning to find that her special somepony was gone from her usual spot laid next to Vinyl. Groggily, Vinyl shifted from her bed onto the floor and walked through the apartment into the dining room to find Rainbow Dash sitting at the table with a plate of pancakes piled high in front of her.

"Good morning, Vinyl!" she exclaimed, a wide grin spreading across her face at her marefriend's arrival. "I woke up early so I thought I would make us some breakfast. Have a seat and dig in!"

Vinyl smiled. She loved how Dash was always so eager and energetic in the mornings. Quite the opposite of how she herself was. "Thanks, Dashie. Let's eat!"

Despite the two mares having lived together for the past four months and having gotten to know practically everything about each other, they were still able to be happy together and appreciate the little things that they did for one another.

Vinyl looked up from her plate at Dash. "Hey, Rainbow?"

Rainbow Dash quickly swallowed her mouthful of pancake before speaking. "Yeah, Vinyl?"

The white Unicorn smiled at the sight of Dash forcing down the pancake. "I love you."

Rainbow blushed slightly. "I love you, too."

The happy couple sat in silence for a few minutes before an idea crept into Vinyl's head. "Hey, Dashie?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we could go see Applejack today? If I remember right, she has the day off work today, and the two of you could help me get started on a good exercise routine."

Rainbow could not help but doubt her marefriend. She seemed serious, but the Pegasus still wondered how long she would be able to commit to her plan to participate in the Running of the Leaves before she gave up. Rather than voice it, however, she kept those thoughts to herself. Better to be supportive. "Uhm, sure thing, I don't see why AJ would have a problem helping out."

At Sweet Apple Acres, the orange farm pony by the name of Applejack was entertaining to Cutie Mark Crusaders with stories of the various misadventures and incidents that had occurred during her time on the farm.

"And then, there was this one time when me an' Rainbow Dash-"

As if on cue, Rainbow Dash's voice carried over the hillside and into Applejack's ears. "Applejack!"

"Well, hey thar, Rainbow!" exclaimed Applejack upon seeing her childhood friend trotting down the hillside. "Ah was jus' tellin' the fillies about that time we destroyed the barn and had to rebuild it from scratch!"

Rainbow chuckled at the memory of that incident. "Hey, it was fun while it lasted!"

"Yeah, but rebuildin' the barn sure wasn't!"

Rainbow laughed. "Anyways, Vinyl was wanting to participate in this year's Running of the Leaves, and she was hoping you and me could help her start on a exercise regimen to prepare for it."

Applejack's ears perked up at the possibility of new competition."In that case, Ah'd be happy to help!"

"Hey!" exclaimed Applebloom. "Ah thought you were gonna tell us about the barn getting torn up, sis!"

"Yeah!" agreed Sweetie Belle. "What about the story?"

"Oh, Ah can tell y'all more stories later, but Ah gotta help my friend work up a good sweat."

"Fine," sighed Scootaloo. "Come on, Crusaders. Let's see if we can figure out something to do in town."

The three young fillies trotted off into town.

Applejack turned to face Vinyl. "Okay, now the first thing you need to know is that..."

At the outskirts of Ponyville, a royal carriage was being pulled towards town by two muscular stallions. Inside this carriage sat a certain prince.  
This prince held a photograph of a pony he had met at the Grand Galloping Gala in his hooves.

"Oh, miss Rarity." he sighed. "I mistreated you so that night, but I swear upon my royal horn that I, Prince Blueblood, will show you how much I have changed since that dreadful night!"


	2. Chapter 2

**A New Perspective, Pt. 2**

**Finally, I found the time to finish this! Sorry it took so long, I'll try to update more frequently, but I can't promise anything! Send in reviews, please? I like hearing what people think of my work. Anyways, read and enjoy! AND REVIEW!**

The tension in the air was palpable as Ponyville's fashionista pony, Rarity, paced frantically around her boutique, working furiously on an order placed by somepony in Manehattan. The winter season was fast approaching, and many ponies from across Equestria had preordered their winter attire, resulting in a hideously overcrowded work schedule for the prim-and-proper Unicorn. It had gotten so bad in recent days that Rarity needed to send her sister, Sweetie Belle, and her adopted daughter, Diamond Tiara, off to Fluttershy's for dinner so that she could work without having to worry about them. Diamond and Sweetie did not mind, but Rarity felt guilty.

After Filthy Rich got locked away, Diamond Tiara had nowhere to go, so Rarity took her in and adopted her as one of her own. Diamond's rotten attitude had come from extreme neglect from her father, so when Rarity took her in, she was shown all of the love and affection from her (as well as Sweetie Belle, who showed Diamond friendship only at the request of her big sister, and even then did so begrudgingly), and had changed from a spoiled brat into a kinder, gentler filly.

Rarity's concentration on the task at hand, which happened to be a piece of cerulean fabric, was broken by the ringing of her doorell and a familiar voice.

"Hello? Is miss Rarity in?" called a male voice.

"Yes, just one moment, please!" called Rarity from the upstairs studio.

The fashionista dropped the fabric onto the table and trtted downstairs towards the door, all the while wondering where she had heard that voice before. It sounded familiar, but she could not quite place it.

The purple-maned Unicorn opened the door and laid eyes upon the stallion she hated perhaps more than anything else: Prince Blueblood.

Rarity's face assumed an expression of disgust at the sight before her. "What are YOU doing here, you royal jerk?"

Blueblood brushed off the insult. "Miss Rarity, I realize that my actions at the Grand Galloping Gala two years ago were unacceptable, and I-"

"Well of COURSE they were unnacceptable!" shouted Rarity. "How could anypony think they could get away with treating any other pony, ESPECIALLY A LADY, the way you did?"

Blueblood tried to maintain a calm composure, but fear was slowly creeping into his mind. "Please, miss Rarity, calm down and allow me to explain myself. I have come to Ponyville to show you that I have changed since that night. I'm no longer the stuck-up stallion I was. I've learned how to properly treat others, and not to look down upon other ponies simply because they are not of the same social class. I'm terribly sorry for my behavior two years ago, and I ask the chance to prove to you that what I say now is the truth."

The Unicorn being addressed did not know exactly what to think. The prince seemed sincere, but she knew better than to put anything past anypony. She felt she could give him a chance, but to be on guard.

"Well, I'll tell you what," she began. "I have a very busy work schedule right now, and I wouldn't expect anyone other than myself to get everything done right. But once all of this chaos clears up, I will allow you the chance to prove your word true. You are to take me out to the Mane Event on Stirrup Street. I expect you to treat me like a TRUE lady. This means pulling out my chair for me as I take my seat, participating in dinner conversation, and most importantly, PAYING for the meal! Is that understood?"

Blueblood's ears perked up. He had not expected this encounter to go nearly that well.

"Yes, of course, miss Rarity! I will be staying in room 206 at the hotel on Maple Avenue for my time here in Ponyville. Be in touch whenever your schedule allows!"

Rarity attempted a smile. "Will do, Blueblood. Now, if you will excuse me, I am extremely busy."

"Oh, of course." replied the prince. "I will leave you to your work. I promise you won't regret this." Blueblood turned and trotted off into town.

Rarity shut the door behind her, went back upstairs, and continued working on the same piece of fabric.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack had to stop and wait for Vinyl Scratch to catch her breath. Again. Exercise was clearly not something she had done very much in her life.

"You okay, Vinyl?" teased Applejack. "Ain't tuckered out already, are ya?"

Vinyl caught her breath, then angrily replied. "No way! I can keep up!"

"You sure about that?" taunted Rainbow Dash. "You look like you're about to pass out."

The white Unicorn looked at her marefriend, determined to keep pace. "I told you, I can keep up!" She then tore off past her companions, only to be met by them after a relatively short distance.

The orange Earth pony and cyan Pegasus had quickly discovered the secret to pushing Vinyl further. She pushed herself further whenever she was taunted or teased about her abilities. Dash and Applejack simply goaded her further whenever she fell behind or stopped for a breather, and the DJ somehow found the extra energy to keep going.

After several hours of running, Vinyl's legs finally collapsed underneath her. She had reached her limit and her energy was completely spent. She allowed herself to relax, although her body had different ideas. She lay there, completely winded from running for so long. Her companions, who had kept going, eventually realized that she had collapsed, and doubled back to help her up.

"Ya okay, sugarcube?" asked Applejack.

"I'm fine," spat Vinyl, still trying to catch her breath.

"I think she's had enough for the day, AJ." said Dash, turning her attention to Vinyl. "Come on, let's get you home and get a bath. I think we all stink after today."

"Good idea, Dashie. I'm completely beat. I... I can't go on anymore today."

"Alright, y'all." said Applejack. "Ya did good today for someone who don't really exercise much, Vinyl."

"Thanks, Applejack. But to be honest, it was mostly your teasing that got me this far. I just can't stand when someone tries to tell me I can't do something."

"Yeah, we noticed," giggled Dash. "But come on, let's get cleaned up."

Vinyl tried to stand, but as she got up onto her hooves, her knees went weak and she fell to the ground again.

"Ouch..." Vinyl started to blush from embarrassment. "I think today took more out of me than I thought."

"AJ, can you help her onto my back?" asked Rainbow. "It looks like I'm gonna have to carry her home."

"Sure thing, Dash. C'mere, sugarcube, Ah gotcha."

After several minutes of squirming, struggling, and trying to maintain balance in pretty awkward positions, Applejack was finally able to get Vinyl situated on the back of the cyan Pegasus.

"Alright, Dash, Ah think you're clear for takeoff! See y'all 'round!" exclaimed Applejack.

"Thanks, AJ. We'll be back whenever Vinyl can stand again!" mocked Rainbow as she soared off into the sunset.

Rainbow Dash and Vinyl Scratch arrived at their apartment within minutes. The couple bathed away the sweat and effort of the day's exercise, then Rainbow heated up some of the leftovers from the previous night for a quick dinner. After eating, the couple trotted upstairs into their bedroom.

"Hey, Dashie?" said Vinyl after the two had gotten comfortable in the bed. "Thanks for today."

"Hey, no problem. I could run and race all day, especially for my special somepony."

"Taking me out to the farm to see Applejack today really shows me how much you take my wants and goals seriously. Thanks for helping me get in shape."

"Hey, I never leave my friends hanging. And I especially don't leave my marefriend hanging."

"Thanks, Dashie. I love you."

"I love you, too, Vinyl. Now let's get some rest. You've earned it after today."

"Sounds like..." Vinyl yawned. "Sounds like a good idea to me." Within seconds, the tired Unicorn was fast asleep, and soon after, her marefriend, Rainbow Dash, followed her into dreamland.


End file.
